Stylish and Enjoyable

OUTDOOR OPTIONS

With every home we design, we think through how we interact with the outdoors, how we extend our living and entertaining spaces beyond the walls of our houses, how we ease ourselves into the landscape.

Life on the southern coast is an indoor/outdoor life for most of the year, so it’s important to determine how best to use our outdoor spaces, and the elements of design that connect the interior with the exterior.

Porches, verandas, and patios have a long tradition in the South and we spend much time in these outdoor “rooms.” These exposed spaces for dining, lounging, and entertaining are so significant to the overall design and feel of a home.

Because we spend so much time in these areas, we prefer to think of them as additional living rooms and design them accordingly, with furnishings that are stylish and comfortable and that carry the style and palette of the interior outside.

There are many ways to enhance and add to your exterior spaces and broaden your options outside the house.

With a few additions, your outdoor rooms can be transformed into stylish and enjoyable living space — just in time for summer! • Ottomans, gardens stools or scatter tables not only provide spots to rest your beverage, but also to expand your seating options to allow for larger groups to gather. • Hanging beds, swings, and rocking chairs are comfortable and fun additions to any outdoor living area. • Grouping various planters of different shapes and sizes around a front door or up exterior steps, adding layers of greens and seasonal flowers, is an easy way to give a porch a fresh look.

TIPS FOR A STYLISH & ENJOYABLE LIVING SPACE

BY J. BANKS DESIGN

• Put some paint on it! Haint blue-painted ceilings add to the charm of a southern porch. The light blue tone was said to ward off evil spirits looking to harm the family or home. Some even say it helps keep the bugs away. • Paint your front or back door a unique color and add a pop of interest. • Add some light — embellishing structural elements of a porch with white lights affords a soft glow after the sun goes down. • Add brightly colored pillows to your outdoor furniture for an instant upgrade. Make sure the pillows are weatherproof. • There’s nothing more pleasant than dining alfresco. Spruce up a picnic table with a few thoughtful additions – votives, a linen tablecloth, and a pitcher filled with freshly cut flowers. • Accessorize with collections you find out on the beach — shells, driftwood, sea glass and other items that wash in with the tide.

HOUSE PLANTS THAT FLOURISH AT HOME By Nina Greenplate BRINGING GREENERY INSIDE

Beautiful, and functional, indoor greenery can improve your home space, enhance your mood and purity the air with popular options that will have you breathing easy.

“Every plant is different, just like every child is different,” said certified master gardener and Hilton Head’s The Greenery greenhouse supervisor Erin Carpenter. “All have their own care instructions, so it really is best to learn about them before you run out and make a purchase.”

Staff can help break down preferences based on the space you’re working with, available sunlight,

THE LOW COUNTRY NEEDS CLIMATE FRIENDLY PLANTS

and how much time will be needed to care for them.

Keep in mind that house plants are simply living greens that can’t tolerate the outdoors below a certain temperature. The Lowcountry’s sub-tropical climate must be recognized as one where frost is likely, and as such, interior house

FISHBONE CACTUS IS ON TREND FOR INDOORS

planting is perfect when you find something you love.

What house plants are trending in 2021? According to housebeautiful.com, the Mexican Rainforest’s fishbone cactus is one of this year’s most popular house lovelies. They are extremely low in maintenance, with stems resembling their namesake. Other cacti on their watch list include the bunny ear and mistletoe. Over at thespruce. com, there are several ‘it’ houseplants that are worth a peek: The super-fun polka dot Begonia, the purple patterned Calathea rattlesnake, and the spacious indoor Chinese floor plant, the Lady Palm.

Big leafy greens like the elephant ear or Alocasias, and philodendron join the list for hot plant picks as well. Enter the elegant Sterling Silver moonlight scindapsus, a vining favorite, slow-growing and a plant collector’s newest prize.

Requests for rare and unusual plant varieties are gaining notoriety. Surprisingly these pricier plants have consumers more than willing to pay for them.

According to thespruce.com, genetic defects such as unique pigmentation, cell mutations or other anomalies make these interesting and expensive indoor rarities coveted finds. They include such beauties as the Monstera deliciosa Variegata, philodendron pink princes, and pseudolithos cubiformis.

Carpenter says some old favorites appear to be trending again. It’s the easy-to-care-for greenery like Mother-in-Law’s Tongue (or the snake plant), colorful crotons, vibrant anthurium, lemon lime dracaena and majesty palms that remain popular.

The ZZ plant is a green African beauty, incredibly tolerant against neglect, drought and low light conditions. It is perfect for the low-maintenanceplease gardener.

“The tropical fiddly fig has fallen out of favor, and is no longer as popular,” she says. “They’re a finicky ficus.” Succulents are another group losing popularity according to Carpenter.

“They’re harder to care for because they don’t want to stay wet, yet still need a thorough drink.”

Carpenter said customers sometimes lament their inability to keep plants alive, but take a deep breath; it’s just a matter of finding the plant that’s right for you.